[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 153 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H9912-H9913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ACT OF 2008

  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1157) to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize 
the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 
to make grants for the development and operation of research centers 
regarding environmental factors that may be related to the etiology of 
breast cancer, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1157

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Breast Cancer and 
     Environmental Research Act of 2008''.

     SEC. 2. EXPANDING COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH ON BREAST CANCER AND 
                   THE ENVIRONMENT.

       (a) In General.--Subpart 1 of part C of title IV of the 
     Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended 
     by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 417F. INTERAGENCY BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL 
                   RESEARCH COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

       ``(a) Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research 
     Coordinating Committee.--
       ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 6 months after the 
     date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
     establish a committee, to be known as the Interagency Breast 
     Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (in 
     this section referred to as the `Committee').
       ``(2) Duties.--The Committee shall--
       ``(A) share and coordinate information on existing research 
     activities, and make recommendations to the National 
     Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies regarding how 
     to improve existing research programs, that are related to 
     breast cancer research;
       ``(B) develop a comprehensive strategy and advise the 
     National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies in 
     the solicitation of proposals for collaborative, 
     multidisciplinary research, including proposals to evaluate 
     environmental and genomic factors that may be related to the 
     etiology of breast cancer that would--
       ``(i) result in innovative approaches to study emerging 
     scientific opportunities or eliminate knowledge gaps in 
     research to improve the research portfolio;
       ``(ii) outline key research questions, methodologies, and 
     knowledge gaps;
       ``(iii) expand the number of research proposals that 
     involve collaboration between 2 or more national research 
     institutes or national centers, including proposals for 
     Common Fund research described in section 402(b)(7) to 
     improve the research portfolio; and
       ``(iv) expand the number of collaborative, 
     multidisciplinary, and multi-institutional research grants;
       ``(C) develop a summary of advances in breast cancer 
     research supported or conducted by Federal agencies relevant 
     to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer and 
     other diseases and disorders; and
       ``(D) not later than 2 years after the date of the 
     establishment of the Committee, make recommendations to the 
     Secretary--
       ``(i) regarding any appropriate changes to research 
     activities, including recommendations to improve the research 
     portfolio of the National Institutes of Health to ensure that 
     scientifically-based strategic planning is implemented in 
     support of research priorities that impact breast cancer 
     research activities;
       ``(ii) to ensure that the activities of the National 
     Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies, including 
     the Department of Defense, are free of unnecessary 
     duplication of effort;
       ``(iii) regarding public participation in decisions 
     relating to breast cancer research to increase the 
     involvement of patient advocacy and community organizations 
     representing a broad geographical area;
       ``(iv) on how best to disseminate information on breast 
     cancer research progress; and
       ``(v) on how to expand partnerships between public 
     entities, including Federal agencies, and private entities to 
     expand collaborative, cross-cutting research.
       ``(3) Rule of construction.--For the purposes of the 
     Committee, when focusing on research to evaluate 
     environmental and genomic factors that may be related to the 
     etiology of breast cancer, nothing in this section shall be 
     construed to restrict the Secretary from including other 
     forms of cancer, as appropriate, when doing so may advance 
     research in breast cancer or advance research in other forms 
     of cancer.
       ``(4) Membership.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Committee shall be composed of the 
     following voting members:
       ``(i) Not more than 7 voting Federal representatives as 
     follows:

       ``(I) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention.
       ``(II) The Director of the National Institutes of Health 
     and the directors of such national research institutes and 
     national centers (which may include the National Institute of 
     Environmental Health Sciences) as the Secretary determines 
     appropriate.
       ``(III) One representative from the National Cancer 
     Institute Board of Scientific Advisors, appointed by the 
     Director of the National Cancer Institute.
       ``(IV) The heads of such other agencies of the Department 
     of Health and Human Services as the Secretary determines 
     appropriate.
       ``(V) Representatives of other Federal agencies that 
     conduct or support cancer research, including the Department 
     of Defense.

       ``(ii) 12 additional voting members appointed under 
     subparagraph (B).
       ``(B) Additional members.--The Committee shall include 
     additional voting members appointed by the Secretary as 
     follows:
       ``(i) 6 members shall be appointed from among scientists, 
     physicians, and other health professionals, who--

       ``(I) are not officers or employees of the United States;
       ``(II) represent multiple disciplines, including clinical, 
     basic, and public health sciences;
       ``(III) represent different geographical regions of the 
     United States;
       ``(IV) are from practice settings, academia, or other 
     research settings; and
       ``(V) are experienced in scientific peer review process.

       ``(ii) 6 members shall be appointed from members of the 
     general public, who represent individuals with breast cancer.
       ``(C) Nonvoting members.--The Committee shall include such 
     nonvoting members as the Secretary determines to be 
     appropriate.
       ``(5) Chairperson.--The voting members of the Committee 
     shall select a chairperson from among such members. The 
     selection of a chairperson shall be subject to the approval 
     of the Director of NIH.
       ``(6) Meetings.--The Committee shall meet at the call of 
     the chairperson of the Committee or upon the request of the 
     Director of NIH, but in no case less often than once each 
     year.
       ``(b) Review.--The Secretary shall review the necessity of 
     the Committee in calendar year 2011 and, thereafter, at least 
     once every 2 years.''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of 
     carrying out research activities under title IV of the Public 
     Health Service Act, including section 417F of such Act as 
     added by subsection (a), there are authorized to be 
     appropriated $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 
     through 2012. Amounts authorized to be appropriated under the 
     preceding sentence shall be in addition to amounts otherwise 
     authorized to be appropriated for such purpose under section 
     402A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 282a).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1157, the Breast 
Cancer and Environmental Research Act, legislation introduced by 
Representatives Nita Lowey and Sue Myrick.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, 
breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women. Each

[[Page H9913]]

year in America, approximately 182,000 women are diagnosed of breast 
cancer, of which nearly 41,000 lose their lives.
  While improved access to screening and treatment services have helped 
reduced breast cancer death rates over the past couple of decades, 
significant challenges still remain. For example, we are still unsure 
about what causes breast cancer or how to prevent it. While there have 
been a number of studies that have looked at various risk factors, we 
have not been able to draw any solid conclusions about what 
specifically causes breast cancer or what are the linkages between 
breast cancer and environmental factors.
  This legislation would help address, help facilitate and help 
coordinate research efforts on the links between breast cancer and 
environmental factors in the hopes that one day we might find a cure.
  Let me acknowledge the work of my colleagues, Mrs. Lowey and Mrs. 
Myrick, who have been tireless advocates on behalf of this legislation. 
They have been working nonstop over the past several months to develop 
the compromise legislation before us today.
  I would also like to commend the chairman of our committee, the 
Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Dingell, as well as his staff, for 
their hard work on this legislation. In particular I would like to 
acknowledge the hard work of Jessica McNiece, a member of the 
professional staff on the Energy and Commerce Committee, for her 
efforts to move this bill forward.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I too rise in support of this 
legislation and would like to yield such time as she may consume to one 
of the original sponsors of this legislation, the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick).
  Mrs. MYRICK. Thank you, Mr. Deal, for yielding.
  I am very pleased to speak on behalf of this bill and excited that it 
has come this far, because it is going to further progress breast 
cancer research as it relates to the environmental factors.
  Nita Lowey has worked on this for I think 10 years. I have been at it 
for at least 7 years. I don't know how long it has been, Nita, but it 
has been a long, long time. We are both happy to be at this point, 
because I think it will breathe new life into the effort of what we are 
doing at the NIH for the potential triggers of breast cancer.
  Lots of thought has gone into this, a tremendous amount of work on 
both sides of the aisle. I want to commend Mrs. Lowey for all of her 
work, Chairman Dingell and Chairman Barton, and all the staff members 
who made this compromise possible, because this has been a long time 
coming. We are just grateful we are at this point today.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the sponsor of the 
bill, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), who, as everyone has 
said, has worked so hard and tirelessly on behalf of this legislation.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1157, the Breast 
Cancer and Environmental Research Act. The bill is the product of 
bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, and in my judgment truly represents 
a fair compromise that will lead to meaningful changes in how breast 
cancer research is conducted throughout the Federal Government.
  The bill passed by voice vote in the Energy and Commerce Committee. 
It will improve the caliber of breast cancer research, improve 
transparency for breast cancer research dollars and vastly increase the 
role of advocates in determining research priorities.
  I would like to thank a few key individuals who have been an integral 
part of advancing this legislation. First of all, my partner on this 
bill, Congresswoman Sue Myrick. She has done a yeoman job, and we have 
worked together for a very, very long time. Congratulations. Of course, 
her staff, Sarah Hale; the Senate sponsor of this bill, Majority Leader 
Harry Reid and his staff, Carolyn Gluck; Ranking Member Barton and his 
staff, Ryan Long; Minority Whip Roy Blunt and his staff, Cheryl Jaeger; 
Health Subcommittee Chairman, my good friend Congressman Pallone, we 
came to the Congress together, and his staff, Bobby Clark; and, of 
course, Chairman Dingell and his staff, in particular Jessica McNiece 
and Greg Rothschild, who have spent countless hours on this bill. 
Without their commitment to advancing a bipartisan product, frankly, we 
wouldn't be here today.
  The bill is a really good one, and I urge my colleagues to support 
it.
  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I think one of the better things 
that is contained in this legislation is that it does create an 
interagency coordinating committee to coordinate the activities on 
breast cancer research that are being conducted by the Department of 
Health and Human Services, the Defense Department and other agencies 
that are actively engaged in cancer research. By removing the barriers 
which restrict cross-institutional information sharing, we will be able 
to bring America's best scientists together to collaborate and work 
together in pursuit of a cure.
  The bill also increases the overall authorization of the NIH by $40 
million to further aid their mission in this research.
  I think it is a good step in the right direction, and I am glad to 
see the House taking the legislation up today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I 
would ask that we all support this very important legislation. I know 
that it constantly comes up in my State about possible links between 
breast cancer and various cancers and environmental risk, so I know how 
important this is. I ask that everyone support it.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1157, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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